Lawn mower



H. M. 'HOOE Sept. 5, 1939.

LAWN MOWER Filed April 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HMHZ Z'Z ATTORN EY Sept. 5, 1939..

H. M HOOE LAWN MOWER Filed April 22, 1938 S Sheets-Sheet 2 HM H022 BY Q ATTORNEY Sept. 5, 1939. H, M, HOOE 2,171,750

LAWN MOWER Filed April 22, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 p 17 I] /4 m 4 INVENTOR HMHOOQ BY Q 9% ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1939 Q 2,171,750

UNITED STATES PATENT oFrIcE LAWN nowaa Harry M. Hooe, Stockton, Galifi, asignor of ten per cent to Patrick B. Children, Stockton,

Application April 22, 1938, Serial No. 203,576 6 Claims. (Cl. 56255) This invention relates to lawn mowers, my seen, the concave edges of the fingers 1 are the principal object being to provide a mower oi sharpened leading edges. this general type having a cutter so constructed The diameter of the cutting unit relative to the and arranged as to be self-sharpening, one which wheel is such that said unit projects some dis will readily and fcleanly cut grass of practically tance in front of the wheels. This enables a cut any height and toughness, and which will cut to be made close to posts, trees and the like withvery close to posts, trees and the like without out interference from the wheels or without any any contact of any part of the mower therewith. part of the mower contacting with the posts or A further object is to provide a mower in which other fixed objects.

the mechanism is made very durable and rugged The hub of the upper cutting member is l0 without excessive weight so that while it is mounted on a tubular shaft 8 turnable in a bearinitially designed to be operated by the rotation ing sleeve 9 formed on the platform I some disof the wheels as is common, it can be arranged .tance in front of the axle 3. A bevel pinion ill to be operated by power without any material is splined on the shaft about the platform and is redesigning or strengthening of the mechanism enclosed in a housing ll rigid with said platform. 15 being required. An axially adjustable thrust collar I2 is mounted These objects I accomplish by means of such on the shaft above and bears on the pinion. The structure and relative arrangement of parts as 'lower cutting member is secured to a shaft l3 will fully appear by a perusal of the following which turnably projects through the shaft 8 to a specification and claims. termination above the housing where it is en- 20 I In the drawings similar characters of reference gaged by an axially adjustable thrust collar l4 indicate corresponding partsin the several views: supported by the top of said housing. By rea- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved son of these thrust collars or similar adjustable mower. elements, it will be seen that the cutter sup-' Figure 215 a top plan view of the same. porting shafts may be adjusted independently of 25 Figure 3is a transverse vertical section through each other. In this manner the frictional enthe operating mechanism. gagement of the cutting fingers with each other Referring now more particularly to the char may be altered, wear may be taken up or the acters of reference on the drawings, the mower cutters may both be raised or'lowered so as to comprisesaplatform or frame base I having bearset them to operate at difierent levels relative 30 boxes 2 underneath and at its sides for the supto the ground. 1 port of the axle 3 of the wheels 4, which axle is The shaft 8 terminates within the housing clear connected to the wheels by the usual differential of the top of the housing so as to leave a portion mechanism. of the shaft l3 exposed. A bevel pinion I5 is 5 The cutter instead of being the usual horisplined on said exposed portion of the shaft [3 zontal-axis blade type, is disposed with its axis in inverted relation to the pinion ID and supvertical, and comprises cooperating upper and ported against axial movement between the top lower rotary members, the diameter of which of the housing and a bearing element l6 therein. is practically the same as the spacing between The pinions are both engaged by a bevel gear the wheels. The upper member comprises a I! connected to a spur gear 18. while this gear 40 plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting can be attached to a power unit mountedon the fingers 5 radiating from. the central hub i and platform, I have here shown it as engaged with shaped with their opposite edges convex and conanother spur gear l9 secured on the axle 3, both cave respectively, and converging to a point at gears being enclosed in a housing 20 so that they 5 their outer ends. The upper cutter is arranged may be kept running in a suitable lubricant. to radiate in such a direction that the convex The upper cutting fingers 5 are provided with edges of the fingers 5 are the leading edges, and upstanding vanes 2| extending from the hub 6 they are of course sharpened. This shape of the to adjacent the outer ends of the fingers so as cutting fingers gives an efflcient shearing action. to catch the grass as cut and throw the same 5 The lower cutter member also comprises a rearwardly. Such grass is prevented from being number of cutting fingers I, there being the same thrown against the near wheel by a skirt 22 number of these fingers as in the upper member, depending from the adjacent side of the platand said fingers being also identical in size and form, and the grass is also prevented from being shape as the fingers 5. Since the members, howcarried around to the opposite side of the mower ever, rotate in opposite'directions as will be by another depending skirt 23 located substan- 55 tially to the center of the platform and extending rearwardly from adjacent the hubi. The grass as thrown back will thus be retained between the wheels and will lie on the ground in the form of a windrow where it maybe easily picked up.

Arms 24 depend at a rearward angle from the back of the platform and are longitudinally slotted as at 25 to receive the end shafts 26 of a ground engaging roller 21.. The slots extend upwardly from their rear end and their purpose is to facilitate drawing back and tilting the mower upwardly about the roller as an axis when it is desired to raise the cutter at its front end clear of any obstructions in its path.

Formed with the platform at the back are transversely spaced ears 28 between which the roller end of a separating handle 29 projects. A clamping bolt 30 through the ears and handle enables the latter to be set at any angle convenient to the operator. The weight of this handle is designed so as to serve as a counterbalance to the cutter unit and its separating mechanism, the majority of which weight is disposed ahead of the wheel axis.

A grass catching receptacle indicated at 3| may project between the arms 24 and over the roller 21 to a termination close to the path of the cutting unit, so as to receive grass thrown back by the vanes and passing between the skirts- 22 and 23. This catcher may be removably supported at its forward end by suitable means such as hooks 32 thereon engaging over pins 33 pro= je'cting inwardly from said arms.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail maybe resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mower .comprising spaced supporting wheels, a rotary cutter mounted on a vertical axis between the wheels and adapted to cut in a horizontal plane, said cutter including a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting fingers, means on the fingers to engage the material as cut and throw the same toward the back of the mower with the rotation of the cutter, a fixed skirt extending lengthwise of the mower adjacent i and inwardly of that wheel toward which the cutter turns and depending to adjacent the horizontal plane of the cutter, and another depending skirt extending longitudinally of the mower rearwardly from adjacent and substantially alined with the axis of the cutter.

2. A mower comprising spaced supporting wheels, and a rotary cutter mounted on a vertical axis between the wheels and adapted to cut in a horizontal plane, said cutter comprising cooperating upper and lower cutting members, a tubular shaft upstanding from the upper member, a shaft upstanding from the lower member and projecting through the tubular shaft to a termination above the same, means to adjustably support the shafts against lowering movement, opposed bevel pinions on the shafts adjacent their upper ends and a driven bevel gear engaging both pinions.

3. A mower comprising spaced supporting wheels, and a rotary cutter mounted on a vertical axis between the wheels and adapted to cut in a horizontal plane, saidcutter comprising cooperating upper and lower cutting members, a tubular shaft upstanding from the upper member, a shaft upstanding from the lower member and projecting through the tubular shaft to a b termination above the same, opposed bevel pin-' its axis vertical, said cutter comprising upper" and lower cooperating driven cutting members, an upstanding ain'al shaft on which the lower member is mounted, a tube surrounding said shaft on which the upper member is mounted, means to drive said shaft and tube in opposite directions, means between the shaft and frame structure to adjust the shaft vertically, and separate means between the tube and frame structure to adjust said tube vertically.

5. A mower as in claim 4, in which said driving means includes separate gear elements slidably and non-turnably mounted on the shaft and tube and means between said elements and frame structure maintaining the elements against vertical movement relative to said structure irrespective of adjustment of the shaft and tube.

6. A mower comprising spaced supporting wheels, a rotary cutter mounted on a vertical axis between the wheels and adapted to cut in a horizontal plane, said cutter including a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting fingers functioning with the rotation of the cutter, means on the fingers to engage the material as cut and throw the same toward the back of the mower, and means mounted on the mower behind the cutter and laterally inward of the wheels to retain the material thus thrown in the form of a windrow lyingbetween the wheels.

HARRY M. HOOE. 

